1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to displays, and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method and apparatus for mounting a sign adjacent to a generally flat surface, such as a store shelf or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Displays and signs have become popular in all manner of retail trades. For example, displays may be utilized on store shelving, such as grocery store shelves and the like. Such signs can be particularly effective marketing tools when properly designed and utilized. A large number of displays are currently available on the market. These displays vary from the active-type, such as rotating signs for eyeglasses and the like, to common passive types of signs, such as overhead displays. In a well-recognized arrangement, the signs are positioned on store shelves upon which the goods are stocked, or on the vertical standards that support the shelves. In this manner, the signs are used to direct a consumer's attention to the particular goods or items placed on the shelves.
One effective way to direct a consumer's attention to particular goods or items within a store is to place the signs at the front of the shelves or on top of the product or its box. One known type of sign that is positioned near the goods to be displayed is permanently affixed to the store shelf front. While such a sign is effective at directing a customer's attention to particular items or products that are located on or below the store shelf, such signs are generally affixed to the store shelf creating difficulty in removing products and restocking the store shelf. Additionally, permanently affixed signs can be easily damaged if due care is not exercised when removing products or restocking the shelves. Another known type of sign system includes a mounting portion that is permanently affixed to, for example, a vertical shelf standard, and includes an arm that extends from the mounting bracket and has a pivoting head at the end of the arm. The sign is mounted to the pivoting head to permit the sign to be moved out of the way during product removal and shelf restocking. A disadvantage to this particular display arrangement is that there are many small hardware items that are necessary for assembling the sign, and many of the hardware items must be removed in order to pivot the sign out of the way from its normal display position to the access position for accessing the store shelf.
In many known shelving arrangements, the shelves extend from vertical support posts having partition walls extending between and connecting the posts. The shelves rest on brackets or supports that extend from both sides of the face of the partition wall behind the shelves. Another type of display extends upwardly from the top of the partition walls at a height above the floor that provides increased visibility over greater distances.
While known sign systems often can be effective in directing a consumer's attention to a particular product or store shelf location, such systems have deficiencies. First, as with the store shelf mounted displays discussed above, these display systems may be relatively inflexible in that they cannot be installed in more than one manner on a particular shelving system. Second, because differences between such display systems, the installation hardware typically varies from one system to another. Interchangeability is therefore limited. This deficiency may result in increased costs for maintaining a large quantity of different display types along with the respective mounting hardware. This may result in having an insufficient stock of the proper display to, for example, advertise a sale or special item. Accordingly, there is a need for a flexible sign mounting system that permits a display to be mounted to commonly used shelving systems in a variety of configurations.